Bill Text: NJ SR22 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Opposes outsourcing of United States military manufacturing and respectfully urges Congress to investigate Air Force tanker contract award.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-01 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [SR22 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-SR22-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NIA H. GILL
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Opposes outsourcing of United States military manufacturing and respectfully urges Congress to investigate Air Force tanker contract award.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution opposing outsourcing United States military manufacturing and respectfully urging Congress to investigate certain Air Force contract awards.
Whereas, On February 29, 2008, the United States Air Force awarded an estimated $35 billion contract for development and procurement of up to 179 refueling tankers to a partnership formed by Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS); and
Whereas, Northrop Grumman and EADS will employ foreign subcontractors, and plants in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, and other foreign countries will manufacture 40% of the components of the new tankers; and
Whereas, Military transactions in international commerce present unpredictable national security risks because of the increasingly complex nature of supply chains; and
Whereas, The United States Department of Defense relies on procurement of domestically-produced equipment to preserve the United States' defense industrial base and to protect superior and classified domestic technologies; and
Whereas, Various laws, including the Buy American Act, 41 U.S.C. s.10a et seq., and the Berry Amendment, 10 U.S.C. s.2533a, set forth the Federal legislative preference for procurement of domestically-made supplies; and
Whereas, The United States has imported more goods than it has exported each year for the last 26 years, and in January, 2008, the difference between goods imported and goods exported was more than $68 billion; and
Whereas, The United States Department of Labor estimates that the domestic manufacturing sector will lose 1.5 million jobs by 2016; and
Whereas, In contrast to outsourcing, Federal government investment in sophisticated training for the domestic workforce will maintain the United States' unique propensity for the technological innovation that has historically created jobs and sustained our leadership in the global marketplace; and
Whereas, A competitor is protesting the decision to award the tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS because the Air Force may not have adhered to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which dictates the procedure for procuring military equipment; and
Whereas, The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, 41 U.S.C. s.253, requires oversight of the military contracting process; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Senate opposes outsourcing United States military manufacturing.
2. The Senate respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to investigate the $35 billion United States Air Force contract award to Northrop Grumman and EADS to ensure that this decision fulfills public policy objectives and is the best value for taxpayers.
3. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and attested to by the Secretary of the Senate shall be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Congressional Delegation from New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully opposes the outsourcing of United States military manufacturing. On February 29, 2008, the Air Force awarded an estimated $35 billion contract to procure refueling tankers to a consortium of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS). Executing the contract will involve foreign subcontractors and a large portion of the tankers will be manufactured abroad. This decision is under formal protest by another competitor for the contract. Various laws, including the Berry Amendment, 10 U.S.C. s.2533a, and the Buy American Act, 41 U.S.C. s.10a et seq. already require the United States to procure domestically produced and manufactured products. In addition, the Defense Department encourages domestic procurement to preserve the United States' defense industrial base and to protect superior and classified domestic technologies. International military transactions present national security risks because they are no longer merely bilateral and involve the participation of direct and indirect foreign subcontractors, some of whom are not trusted sources. The United States has imported more goods than it has exported each year for the last 26 years, and in January, 2008 the difference between goods imported and goods exported was more than $68 billion. The United States Department of Labor estimates that the domestic manufacturing sector will lose 1.5 million jobs by 2016. Federal government investment in sophisticated training for the domestic workforce will maintain the high skill level of the United States' workforce. Skilled labor, in turn, promotes the United States' capacity for technological innovation that has historically sustained our high standards of living and dominant role in the world economy.
This resolution also urges Congress to investigate the decision to award an Air Force contract for new refueling tanker aircraft to Northrop Grumman Corp. and calls upon Congress to review the defense contracting process. The United States government has enacted Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, 41 U.S.C. s. 253, which requires oversight in the military contracting and acquisition process.
